


Of Tea and Failure

by enemytosleep



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Banter, Friendship, Gen, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-09-17 20:34:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16981344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enemytosleep/pseuds/enemytosleep
Summary: A quiet moment at the Jasmine Dragon.





	Of Tea and Failure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hamsterwoman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamsterwoman/gifts).



> Written for the 2018 Fandom_Stocking exchange on Dreamwidth.

Toph waited, casually leaned back against the tall wooden seat, savoring the flowery scent of her tea as it steeped on the table before her. The Jasmine Dragon was always a mostly pleasant assault on her senses: chairs scraping on tile, the footsteps of the many staff scurrying between guests, conversations in varying volumes, and of course, the countless fragrances of tea wafting and weaving in invisible swirls of mist.

At least, she’d been told fragrance was invisible. It didn’t really matter to her either way.

When asked, she’d always complain that this place was too busy and smelled too strongly, but really she just enjoyed giving Twinkletoes a hard time about their annual meeting spot.

Her tea smelled ready, and she was about to pour her own glass when she saw Sokka outside the door. The gang must be pretty close by, then. She waited. He spotted her and made his approach.

“So good of you to leave a helpless blind girl here, all alone to pour her own tea.”

“Helpless blind girl? Where is she?” Sokka turned one way, then the other, theatrically scanning the tea shop. “I don’t see her. Do you?”

“Ha. Ha.” Toph poured herself a glass and placed the small pot back on the table, handle facing Sokka where he stood. “Seriously, though, I’m drinking this tea before it gets cold. Where is everyone?”

They all met each year at the Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se, the place they’d assembled at the end of it all, before they each went on to rebuild the world. They should all be here by now. They were probably busy, like she had been. Training metalbenders was starting to become a full-time thing, officially. 

“Katara stopped at the market stalls for some beauty potion whatevers. Suki stopped with her.” He plopped into the chair next to Toph. “Women, am I right?”

“And what am I? A platypus bear?”

“Nah, those things are waaaaaay friendlier.”

Toph tutted and sipped her tea. “ So tell me: what beauty potion whatever did _you_ buy?”

“Hey! I’m handsome enough already.” Sokka crossed his arms and turned slightly away from Toph in his seat, making a show of it. “Suki said so.”

Toph raised her eyebrow and gave Sokka what she felt was an incredulous face. There was absolutely _no _way this guy had been anywhere near a market stall without buying something frivolous that he had no doubt convinced himself was, in fact, incredibly cool and useful.__

__“Okay, okay, okay. I got this oil for my hair. It’s supposed to-” She stopped listening and drank more tea. Outside the tea shop, Twinkletoes and Katara had stopped to embrace one another while Suki sidestepped them both and placed her hands on the door._ _

__“Okay, Sokka, you can stop being weird now before people figure out you’re a dork.” Toph placed her cup back on the table, then feigned realization, arms wide for added effect. “Oh wait - guess it’s too late for that!”_ _


End file.
